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I see car analogies on tech forums all the time, so I don't see why I can't do the opposite here.
Consider this:
For a long, long, time, consumers had the choice of buying laptops and desktops. Desktops were more powerful and could perform well at many tasks. But laptops were light and portable. Should one purchase desktop performance at the sake of laptop accessibility?
Asus didn't think so. They made a laptop small, light, and cheap enough that consumers didn't have to choose between a laptop and a desktop; they could have both. The new creation was the Asus Eee pc, which spawned the entire 'netbook' phenomenon that is still going strong years later. The Eee was such a huge hit, that every major computer manufacturer offers a netbook today.
I view the FT-86 like a netbook. While most guys would love to have a sports car as a second vehicle, it isn't financially viable for most families. If the FT-86 is small, light, and cheap like a netbook, people won't have to choose.
/analogy
The reason sports cars sell is because they are desirable. But they are a luxury. They aren't practical for every day use. That's why hot hatches exist; so you can have fun and still drive a practical car. But hot-hatches make too many compromises to be "true" sports cars.
Toyota wants to make a car that is still a true sports car, but affordable for the masses. So where is the line between a sports car and a hot hatch? If you don't know, go watch a few seasons of TopGear (I recommend Seasons 4-10). But it involves "passion" and "soul."
My vision for the FT-86 is not a track car to compete with Lotus and Porsche; it is not going to slay the muscle cars between the lights at 1 AM. Hell, it might not even beat your Camry. But it will get me out of bed each morning and put a smile on my face.
If Toyota (and Subaru) can pull this off, they could revolutionize the sports car market. Today's typical sports car costs 30k and up. If Toyata is successful, that number should come down nearly 10k.
If its fun to drive, all the numbers are irrelevant, except price. Give us an affordable car that brings the pleasure back to driving, and they will have a winner.
C4RBON
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